Matthew 15:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

NIV: Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

NASB: And He answered and said to them, 'Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

CSB: He answered them, "Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?

NLT: Jesus replied, 'And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?

KJV: But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition

NKJV: He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

A group of Pharisees—legalistic, tradition-minded religious leaders—have come all the way from Jerusalem to Galilee to discredit Jesus. They have pointed out that Jesus does not require His disciples to practice a specific form of ritual handwashing before eating. This traditional practice of the Jewish people was not, itself, a command of God. However, it was part of the extensive teachings of Israel's religious leaders. Adherence to those minute details was one of the ways groups such as the Pharisees measured their religiosity.

Jesus doesn't even bother to address the main accusation. Jesus is not falling for the rhetorical trap: explaining why He breaks a tradition which is not part of godly command. Instead, Jesus flips the table on these Pharisees and asks why they break an actual command from God for the sake of a tradition!

The following verses will spell out what command and tradition Jesus is referring to. Among the dangers of tradition-minded religious practice and legalism is missing the actual instructions of God, including the intent behind those directives. In the example Jesus gives, a command to care for other people has been neutralized by human legalism (Matthew 15:4–6).

Matthew 15:1–9 describes Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem challenging Jesus. Their complaint: Christ's disciples have apparently ignored the Pharisees' practice of ritualized washing before eating. In response, Jesus asks them why they allow people to break the actual command of God about honoring one's parents. He says they have made God's Word void for the sake of their tradition. In truth, they criticize those who ignore their commands, but ignore those of God. He applies to them words from the Lord to Isaiah about the Israelites of his day, saying that these Pharisees honor the Lord with their words while their hearts are far away. They worship God in vain, teaching man-made commands as doctrines.

Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They are offended that His disciples break the religious leaders' tradition about ritual handwashing before meals. Jesus turns that attack upside down, pointing out that His critics honor tradition above God's actual commands! He insists that nobody is defiled by what goes in the mouth—by the literal matter itself—but by the overflow of the spirit, such as the words that come out of the mouth. He and the disciples travel out of the country. Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a persistent Canaanite woman. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus feeds thousands of people from a few loaves and fishes. These last two events set up the eventual spread of the gospel beyond the people of Israel.

Matthew 15 begins with a confrontation between some Pharisees and Jesus. They ask why His disciples break the traditional practice of ritual handwashing. Pointedly, Jesus asks why they allow the obvious intent of God's commandments to be broken through their traditions. Jesus and the disciples travel out of Israel, encountering a Canaanite woman. He praises her faith and casts a demon from her daughter. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus heals more people and feeds thousands more from another few loaves and fishes. This sets up another confrontation with religious leaders, warnings about their teachings, and predictions of Jesus' death in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.